While the convoy of Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma was moving in Jaipur, a 27-year-old woman running a momo stall was reportedly upset when a police van pushed her eatery out of the way, leaving her seriously burnt.
The complainant Reshu Gupta allegedly asked the officials to wait for a few moments before calling the cart. But her family and local witnesses say the cart was shoving to make a path, to the extent that a container of boiling water broke and spilled.
Reshu’s chest, arms, shoulders and thighs were burnt because the water was too hot. She was immediately rushed to a hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.
The accident has angered the public, leaving uncertainties about the security arrangements during the transport of Vipers. The seller was said to have called out for a “harvest” several times, but that was apparently ignored.
Reshu’s family states that it has caused them heartbreak. Her father has passed away, and she is the only provider for her mother and three younger sisters, earning a crust of bread from her little business, selling food on the streets.
It has thus put the matter of the balance between VIP security protocol and rights of normal people who are working along the public roads for their livelihood up for debate. No idea has been offered in detail by the authorities yet regarding the allegations made, and calls are again being made in social media for the authorities to be held accountable and prompt compensation for the injured vendor.
But this time, the incident has revived the issue of meeting demands of street vendors during high security political movements.